EVERETT, Wash., Sept. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Air China today celebrated the delivery of the airline's first 747-8 Intercontinental. Air China is the first carrier in Asia to operate the passenger version of the new, fuel-efficient 747-8. The new airplane is the first of seven 747-8 Intercontinentals Air China has on order.

"Air China has been operating 747s since the 1980s," said Song Zhiyong, president of Air China. "This iconic airplane has played an important role in Air China's international development and has also witnessed many milestones of the reform and opening-up of China. We are very proud to introduce the new 747-8 into our fleet to continue its tradition into the future."